6.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
The puppets return, this time they hunt some Paranormal Researchers to take their brain fluid for the dead/living puppet master, Andre Toulon...
Starring: Elizabeth Maclellan, Collin Bernsen, Steve Welles, Greg Webb, Charlie SpradlingHorror | 100% |
Thriller | 16% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Horrible little demons!
Movie killers come in all shapes and sizes: there's the hulking Jason Voorhees, the averagely built Freddy Krueger, the diminutive Leprechaun, and the doll-sized Chucky. There are even slimy aliens and massive predators with a pretty good track record of screen kills. Amongst the lesser
known
killers, and quite possibly the screen's smallest, is the assortment of puppets from Charles Band's cult favorite series Puppet Master. These little guys might not have size on their side,
but
they're strong, varied, unique, work well together, and silently go about their business through a long-running series that's about to be at a cool ten
films
with
the pending release of Puppet Master X: Axis Rising. Puppet Master II, then, is a
film in which the series begins to find its stride, now building on established success and not simply taking a chance on novelty. It returns favorite
puppets and introduces a few more -- and a
couple quite unlike anything the first film had to offer. It's simple and at times goofy but nonetheless entertaining, a devious and playful
little slice of light
camp Horror cinema primed to please any and all fans of such films.
Smoking can't kill the dead.
Longtime Full Moon fans are in for a treat with Puppet Master II. The film doesn't look good, it looks great. Those who have only seen it on lower-resolution home video formats or wavy VHS copies (which would be most fans) will be blown away, and videophiles should also be ecstatic with the end result. Full Moon's presentation comes framed at 1.78:1 and yields a highly impressive film-like texturing. Grain remains throughout the presentation, and details are consistently crisp and complex. The image is almost always razor-sharp and looks fantastic across the board, save for a few worn-down stills of the Bodega Bay Inn and a stray soft edge or two. Fine detail is extraordinary on close-up shots of the puppets; very fine lines, intricate little details, and light wear and tear visible on each one gives them a character that just isn't so readily visible on lower resolution formats. Clothing lines and human skin textures are equally impressive and complex, and perhaps the single best example of the image's high-yield details comes in the bandages wrapping Toulon's face, whether appearing initially clean and crisp or progressively more worn and dirty. Colors are even and accurate, perhaps just a hair bright but capturing the early 1990s clothing styles as well as natural green vegetation with equal precision. Black levels never stray very far from the natural, and flesh tones appear to capture accurate shades. The image sees a few intermittent and very light speckles and scattered edge halos. Otherwise, this one's an unequivocal winner and, hopefully, a first look at what should be a fantastic wave of Blu-ray releases from Full Moon.
Puppet Master II conjures up a measly Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack that, unfortunately, is nowhere near the same quality as the revelatory high definition transfer. The track offers a fairly limited range from the start. The opening music fails to present audiences with a wide, aggressive soundstage. Raw energy is lacking, too, as is clarity. The presentation often has a low, muffled, sometimes slightly scratchy sound about it. Big sound effects like booming thunder come across with little potency and presence. Lighter ambience, such as seaside sounds or light footsteps, also play with limited sonic accuracy, coming across as harshly digital at times rather than natural. Some effects do find greater clarity and a better, more natural presence, but the track seems rather wishy-washy as it goes back and forth between "acceptable" and "borderline poor." Dialogue is generally clear and focused but not quite so natural and effortless when compared to what the average higher-end lossless track has to offer. It's a shame the audio couldn't match the excellence of the video presentation, but this is an older, lower budget film. Here's hoping future installments (and additional Full Moon titles) might earn audio tracks that match, or approach, the high quality of the video presentations.
Puppet Master II contains an audio commentary track as its primary bonus feature.
Puppet Master II brings a whole lot of stuff to the table, and it all gels surprisingly well. Blood, sex, the occult, dark science, murderous puppets, and mannequins all play a part in shaping a movie in which most every element sticks and ticks alike. Of course, the production values outside of the puppets are rather low and the acting borders on the miserable, but does any of that really matter when a movie features gratuitous breast shots, a puppet with a drill on its head tearing into a man's brain, a puppet with a flamethrower on its arm torching a snotty little kid, and an undead human wanting to transfer his soul to a plastic mannequin? It's a lot of rubbish made to work thanks to rather good, steady direction and in a tribute to campy cinema that genre fans shouldn't miss! Full Moon's Blu-ray release of Puppet Master II features fantastic remastered video that's going to please a whole lot of fans. Also included is a rather disappointing soundtrack and a decent collection of extras highlighted by an excellent Charles Band commentary. Recommended to both established fans and curious genre aficionados of all things Horror-camp.
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